Mirtazapine and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Dav...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 5, 2020

Mirtazapine for Depression "I really like this medication. I'd always been wary of antidepressants because of the well-known side effects, but being an SSRI, I gave this one a shot. Never looked back. Gained maybe 8 pounds, but you can't tell because I look and feel so much healthier and happier. Little to no side effects other than that 8 pounds, I can finally sleep again. Woke up a little dizzy in the morning for the first 2 or 3 weeks, but it doesn't happen anymore. You probably won't ever forget to take it, and you won't be able to sleep without it once you're on it, but my quality of life is so much higher I don't mind."

• 25y...
• March 3, 2020

For Insomnia "I've been taking mirtazapine for almost a year. I've had insomnia since high school, and it's gotten worse the older I've gotten (I'm 25). I tried 4 different sleeping pills before this one, and started with a 15mg dose of mirtazapine. It didn't seem to help at all, and I was still up all night and day. So I decided to take 2 at a time, and it actually worked great. I called my doctor and got switched to 30mg. I've seen a lot of reviews on here saying lower doses work best, but 30mg has worked best for me. I sleep through the night, and wake up feeling fine. No grogginess, or dizziness. Just remember everyone reacts differently. I've tried many different sleeping pills, and this one by far works the best, and it's super affordable. $12 for 3 month's supply? Done. (My doctor is one of those sticklers who won't prescribe anything that can be addictive like Ambien.)"

• Anonymous
• June 10, 2008

Mirtazapine for Depression "I've been taking this for about a year. The sedative effects have decreased as time has passed. It gives me a huge appetite right before I go to sleep, but I can avoid it with some self-control. It also made me dizzy during the first week or two, but that has also disappeared. I have energy, focus, and humor again. It's an effective antidepressant."

• jef...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2014

Mirtazapine for Major Depressive Disorder "30 mg dosage. What to possibly expect based on my experience. Day 1: I was extremely tired. If I let my head hit the pillow, I would experience microsleep. I felt a little dizzy at times. Be careful around stairs if you suffer from vertigo. Functionality was delayed - my mind was in a cloud and it was difficult to work or concentrate on something that required deep attention. Day 2: I felt hungover. Hypersensitive to sounds, meaning that my mind would abnormally jolt to a greater sense of attention to a noise than before. The dizziness remained but at a decreased level. Day 3: Almost normal; just slightly tired."

• jef...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2014

Mirtazapine for Major Depressive Disorder "30 mg dosage. What to possibly expect based on my experience. Day 1: I was extremely tired. If I let my head hit the pillow, I would experience microsleep. I felt a little dizzy at times. Be careful around stairs if you suffer from vertigo. Functionality was delayed - my mind was in a cloud and it was difficult to work or concentrate on something that required deep attention. Day 2: I felt hungover. Hypersensitive to sounds, meaning that my mind would abnormally jolt to a greater sense of attention to a noise than before. The dizziness remained but at a decreased level. Day 3: Almost normal; just slightly tired."

• Ban...
• February 10, 2020

For Insomnia "I was given these tablets Mirtazapine 15mg because I suffer from anxiety, depression, and insomnia. I slept for a whole 2 days. I obviously got up to go to the loo, but was walking into doors and door frames. I eventually came around but was left feeling very groggy and dizzy. I couldn’t possibly have driven a car and was unable to even make a meal. I still don’t feel back to normal after 3 days. Won’t be taking them again. I lost a whole weekend."

• Jam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 6, 2020

For Insomnia "I had chronic insomnia which crept up very quickly. I tried to deal with it using a variety of recommended methods, but as the insomnia worsened, my ability to cope became nonexistent. Sleeping tablets made me feel awful, and eventually, a doctor prescribed me a handful of Valium tablets which helped temporarily. He suggested a course of mirtazapine (15mg), and it feels like they saved my life. Stable sleep patterns and minimal side effects. Only slight weight gain, which I was able to shift quickly. I have been on them for 8 months or so and attempted a taper but went to half tabs too quickly. Had a few days of dizziness after a month or so and then an awful night's sleep, so I panicked and went back to full tablets. Thinking of a slower taper to get off them, but this seems to be a tricky thing by the looks of people's accounts online."

• Emi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2019

For Anxiety "Had moderate anxiety with horrible hour-long panic attacks, no sleep nor eating. After I started taking the pills, I felt super relaxed, and the first week I slept 18 hours a day (which was needed). Felt the side effects of feeling dizzy and the entire room spinning the first week, but definitely worth it. Now I experience higher appetite (which is positive for me since I lost a lot of weight before treatment) and I have vivid dreams and nightmares once in a while. These pills made me positive and optimistic about life again and definitely changed my life for the better. Used to have intrusive thoughts, bad anxiety, and when I didn't have a panic attack, I was just worried about when the next one was going to hit! The pills stopped my over-worrying and (combined with therapy) made me less harsh on myself. All of this is based on the Danish health system, which is pretty highly ranked worldwide, so I consider the drug to be one of the better options."

• Mik...
• June 15, 2013

For Anxiety "Only been on 15 mg for a week now and just upped to 30mg. Warning: do not mix this with alcohol when you first start, you will not be able to walk. Take this at night. Fantastic sleep aid and WOW, such vivid, crazy, and wonderful dreams. For me, so far 10 times better than any SSRI antidepressant. I've probably been taking anxiety medicine for the last 6 years. This medicine should be first-line prescription when anxiety is presented. Also, taking 300 mg pregabalin at the moment, once a day, which I quite like. I'll rate again in a month or two, but for now it's a definite 10!"

• Mir...
• January 27, 2013

For Depression "So far I haven't seen anyone on here that's been on Remeron/Mirtazapine 45mg at night for more than 6 years. I've been on it for 11 years. I was put on this medicine in 2002 after my daughter was born. To save all the details my physical and mental health went out to rest somewhere leaving me in a body and mind that didn't belong to me. They tried me on every medicine available and nothing worked. The negative long term of this has been: weight gain, dizzy sometimes, dehydration and laziness. The positive is it gave me my life back. I, like others here, have found it's notorious for appetite. I could eat sugar right out of the bowl. I have had to make myself be more disciplined in my eating and exercise. I combat dehydration by keeping a cup of water with ice in it filled and drink on it all during the day. I am also moving into menopause so have to be very careful. I've heard some talk about the nightmares. Yep, have them too but only if I eat sugar before bed. Lay off the food 4 hours before you go to bed and it will get rid of those monsters under your bed. I have post-traumatic stress disorder and that causes most of my nightmares. Still, my sleep is awesome. I still have some anxiety from time to time but use Klonopin 0.5 to cut the edge off only when needed. I tried going off about 5 years ago and after about 3 days I couldn't sleep, think, or operate at any type of normalcy. I will have to add I also gained a concentration level I never had before. I went from a school drop-out that couldn't learn to a 3.9 GPA (40-year-old) who loves to read and learn! Compared to all the other stuff out there (and their side effects) I would have to say Remeron has proven to be the very best antidepressant I've ever taken."

• Bri...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 18, 2016

For Insomnia "I have been using Mirtazapine for over 10 years. I started with a dose of 15mg which worked wonderfully for insomnia. However, during the first time of using it, I was suffering from anxiety. My doctor increased the dose to 30mg, which I was on for a few years, until the anxiety became worse. He then increased the dose to 45mg, which I found to be too strong as I noticed dizziness started to happen. So, I halved the dose to 45mg, and everything settled down. The dose was a little low, so I went back to 30mg and have been on this dose for the last 6 years. I do not experience side effects such as weight gain, dizziness, or photosensitivity. I have been on it for quite some time and do not plan on stopping as it works wonderfully."

• Yor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2020

For Anxiety "Would not recommend. First night taking 15 mg, within a very short time, felt really dizzy, wobbly, unsteady, and staggered as I walked. Had to go straight to bed, felt really awful, and then had terrible restless and throbbing legs that lasted hours and hours. Felt overwhelming tiredness, and the next day slept all day, and legs felt heavy and achy."

• Yor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2020

For Anxiety "Would not recommend. First night taking 15 mg, within a very short time, felt really dizzy, wobbly, unsteady, and staggered as I walked. Had to go straight to bed, felt really awful, and then had terrible restless and throbbing legs that lasted hours and hours. Felt overwhelming tiredness, and the next day slept all day, and legs felt heavy and achy."

• Yor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2020

For Anxiety "Would not recommend. First night taking 15 mg, within a very short time, felt really dizzy, wobbly, unsteady, and staggered as I walked. Had to go straight to bed, felt really awful, and then had terrible restless and throbbing legs that lasted hours and hours. Felt overwhelming tiredness, and the next day slept all day, and legs felt heavy and achy."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 10, 2019

For Depression "I don't think that this drug deserves any stars. I wish I could rate it in the negatives. It has no therapeutic benefit for me and causes a great deal of harm. I have had issues with hostility, self-harm, and dark thoughts since starting this medication. I was initially put on this medication due to digestive issues, which were thought to be caused by stress after my endoscopy and colonoscopy came back negative. I have tried to get off several times, but I experience severe withdrawal symptoms whenever I do. These include sweating, diarrhea, anxiety, heart palpitations, shivering, lack of appetite, nausea, dizziness, flu-like symptoms, and insomnia. I was never warned that withdrawal symptoms existed."

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2020

For Anxiety "Prescribed this medication yesterday. Took one pill at 8 pm and 20 minutes later I felt so dizzy I could barely see and had to get into bed quickly. I passed out almost immediately and slept for 14 hours. YES, 14 HOURS! I normally sleep 8. The next day I struggled getting out of bed. By 6 pm I was still feeling like a zombie, and even though I was not hungry, I ate way more than usual. I have only taken this pill once and I am scared to take it again as there is no way I can work, drive, or let alone walk properly on this! I do feel very rested, but no way I can handle staying on these! I'm sure for other people it is great, but not for me."

• Anonymous
• July 31, 2011

Mirtazapine for Insomnia "I suffered from insomnia for over 10 years. I tried everything under the sun from behavioral modification to herbal supplements to prescription drugs. I started 7.5 mg of Remeron and 7.5 mg of Restoril 5 months ago, and I have never slept better. I am so thankful to have found these medications. The first few days I was a bit dizzy and disoriented. And, yes, I have the 10 lb weight gain but that is slowly coming off with proper diet and exercise. This medication literally saved my life."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 5, 2019

For Insomnia "Most nights, 15mg generally works well to put me to sleep and keep me asleep, but it's difficult to get up in the morning as I feel I can sleep the day away. When I do get up, I feel a bit dizzy and my balance isn't too good, like a drugged feeling. This effect does wear off after being up and about for an hour, plus a cup of coffee."

• Sar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 16, 2024

Mirtazapine "Remeron was the third medication I tried for new onset of anxiety and panic attacks. I had never experienced anything like this in my life, I was desperate for help. I tried Buspirone, but it didn’t really work well, and I had dizziness and ringing in my ears. I tried Prozac and had horrible side effects of panic. Lexapro made me extremely tired and caused headaches. I took at-home blood tests to see what meds would work best. Finally, I tried Remeron. I had bad dry mouth for a few weeks and at each dose increase, but it got better over time. It helped to split the dose: 15 mg in the morning and 30 at night. It has helped a lot with my anxiety and gave me my appetite and sleep back. I had to take a low dose of Ativan as needed while my Remeron dose was being titrated. So now I only take Ativan a few times a month and not every day! I am so thankful for that. I don’t like being on medications, but I knew I needed it at least until I get through this tough time in my life."

• Jas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2020

For Anxiety "I switched from being on sertraline (Zoloft) for 4 years to mirtazapine because sertraline caused a stomach ulcer. It was hard to get used to mirtazapine as I felt dizzy and very tired for almost 2 weeks. I slept 12-14 hours a day, and even more over the weekend. I've always struggled with sleeping too little, this only got a little bit better over time, and therefore I decided to stop as there was little left of the day. Also, I was constantly hungry, particularly for chocolate, and gained probably about 2 kilos over 6 weeks' time."

• Coc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2019

For Depression "I am a slim-framed 5'4" 25-year-old woman. I've been dealing with panic attacks, general anxiety, severe depression, and PTSD. My doctor did a genetic test on me, and this medication was one of my four options, so I decided to try this one because of a lack of sleep and I've had no appetite. Last night was my first night on this drug. I can say my side effects were a little scary because I've never been on an antidepressant before. I had to keep reminding myself that these are only side effects. I was dizzy for hours, but not to the point where I couldn't focus. I have a 9-month-old. If you have a child or children, I think it's best if you have someone that can help you care for your child to make it easier for you to rest. I slept pretty decently. No bad dreams or bad thoughts. I was prescribed 7.5 mg nightly. I only pray that the drug gets better as I use it. Patience is key. I will give a month update. Blessings."

• Bai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2024

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I had a severe OCD episode where I couldn’t get out of bed or function. I didn’t sleep or eat for weeks and was convinced I would never feel better. I was put on Sertraline which was absolutely awful. It kept me awake and suppressed my appetite, which was a nightmare as it was on top of me being severely depressed. My doctor finally put me on this and within days, I felt a million times better. I could eat, sleep, and function. It has well and truly worked wonders for my OCD and anxiety. Please give this a go if you suffer from OCD and sleep problems. Side effects - dizziness, couldn’t think straight for a couple of days, and a little bit sleepy during the day. Remember that medication works differently for everyone, and don’t be put off by side effects as they are 100% worth it."

• 101...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2021

Mirtazapine for Depression "I've struggled with anxiety for years, but once I started college, it got to be unbearable. I started having physical symptoms like dizzy spells, chest pain, and severe memory loss. Last semester, my anxiety caused me to get stomach cramps so severe that I would pass out and literally poop straight blood. I was undiagnosed for anxiety at the time, so my doctors ran countless gastro tests on me, only for them all to come back negative. I got so bad that I couldn't keep anything down besides oatmeal, and my weight plummeted. No one could figure out what was wrong with me until I switched primary care doctors. My new doctor took one look at me and had me put on Remeron for anxiety. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but this medication did wonders for me. My stomach cramps stopped completely, and I started getting the best sleep of my life. I gained a small amount of weight back (which was needed), but I didn't experience any crazy weight gain or appetite increases."

• Anonymous
• January 19, 2010

Mirtazapine for Anxiety "My doctor gave me this for anxiety and depression. I took half of a 15 mg pill as directed and slept for 16 hours, and every time I stood up I felt like I was going to pass out. I was unable to care for my daughter and had to have her grandma come take care of her till the side effects wore off later that evening. It was just a horrible drug for me, but I know everyone is different, so it may work well for someone else."

• Ang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2019

For Depression "I have been taking mirtazapine 15 mg for 7 days before bedtime for anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and it's the worst experience ever. Although early days, it has given me more anxiety, so much dizziness, and very restless nights. I feel absolutely awful and also can't stop eating. I have been going around feeling like a drunk all day, every day. It's definitely not for me, and I refuse to continue taking it ever again. Doctors should warn people about the side effects before giving it to patients so they can have a choice of other ADs. Plus, the weight gain is ridiculous on mirtazapine. It did absolutely nothing for me but stressed me out, worrying about the effects it was having on me. So, whilst it may work for others, it's goodbye mirtazapine for me."